Always-on shock and orientation detection

The present disclosure is directed to shock and orientation detection for electronic devices.

Many companies offer a standard warranty with a purchase of an electronic device, such as a laptop, tablet, and smartphone. Standard warranties typically offer complementary repair or replacement for damage caused by defective materials or workmanship, and do not cover physical damage caused by the user. For example, physical damage caused by shock events, such as accidental falls or drops, are often not covered under warranty, but offered at an additional cost.

Unfortunately, some users take advantage of the standard warranty for damages caused by shock events since companies are unable to recognize whether damage was caused by the user or not. Consequently, companies often unnecessarily repair devices under standard warranties at their own expense.

The present disclosure is directed to devices and methods for shock and orientation detection. The shock detection detects shock events, such as accidental drops of the device, and the orientation detection detects the orientation of the device at the time of the shock event. The shock and orientation detection results may be used by companies to evaluate the validity of warranty claims for the device.

The shock and orientation detection includes power management features in order to conserve power. Namely, the device performs motion detection using accelerometer measurements in order to detect movement of the device. In case the device is determined to be stationary, shock detection, gyroscope measurements, and orientation detection are suspended. In case the device is determined to be in motion, shock detection, gyroscope measurements, and orientation detection are performed. The power management and accelerometer remain in an always-on state.

The orientation detection detects a current orientation of the device based on accelerometer and gyroscope measurements. Orientation data is temporarily stored, for example, first-in, first-out (FIFO) in memory.

The shock detection detects a shock event based on accelerometer measurements. For example, a shock event upon detection of a large, sudden change in acceleration.

When a shock event is detected, the stored orientation data, an indication of the detected shock event, and a time stamp of the detected shock event are stored in non-volatile memory. The information stored in the non-volatile memory may then be utilized to evaluate the validity of a warranty claim for the device at a later time.

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the disclosed subject matter. However, the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures, functions, and methods of manufacturing electronic devices, electronic components, and sensors have not been described in detail to avoid obscuring the descriptions of other aspects of the present disclosure.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising,” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.”

Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

As discussed above, standard warranties for electronic devices typically offer complementary repair or replacement for damage caused by defective materials or workmanship, and do not cover physical damage caused by the user. Users often deceptively take advantage of the standard warranty for damages caused by shock events, such as accidental falls or drops, since companies are unable to recognize whether damage was caused by the user or not. As a result, companies will often repair devices under standard warranties at their own expense.

The present disclosure is directed to devices and methods for shock and orientation detection. The shock detection detects shock events, and the orientation detection detects the orientation of the device at the time of the shock event. The shock and orientation detection results allow companies to evaluate the validity of warranty claims for electronic devices. The shock and orientation detection are implemented in low power hardware without any host intervention. As a result, the shock and orientation detection disclosed herein has low power consumption and may be implemented as an always-on feature that executes even when the device is in an off or low power state.

is a deviceaccording to an embodiment disclosed herein.

The deviceis an electronic device that is configured to perform shock and orientation detection. The devicemay be any type of electronic device that may suffer from a shock event, such as a user dropping the device, the user falling or having a sudden accident while carrying the device, or the device suffering from a sudden impact. For example, the devicemay be a portable device, such as a laptop, tablet, and smartphone, that commonly is dropped by a user. The deviceincludes a processor, a multi-sensor device, and a non-volatile memory. The devicemay include various other components, such as speakers, a keyboard, display, batteries, etc.

The processoris a host general-purpose processor that performs various functions for the device. For example, the processorexecutes various applications, controls and coordinates hardware components of the device, and communicates with any peripheral devices communicatively coupled to the device. The processormay include one or more processors.

The multi-sensor deviceis communicatively coupled to the processor. The multi-sensor deviceincludes one or more types of motion sensorsincluding, but not limited to, an accelerometer and a gyroscope that generate motion measurements. The accelerometer and the gyroscope measure acceleration and angular velocity or rate, respectively, along one or more axes of the device.

The multi-sensor devicealso includes its own onboard memory, and a processoror processing circuitry coupled to the onboard memory. The processoris configured to receive and process data generated by the sensors; and execute programs (e.g., a finite state machine, machine learning algorithms, etc.) stored in the onboard memory. The processormay include one or more processors.

In contrast to a general-purpose processor like the processor, the multi-sensor deviceis a power-efficient, low-powered device, such as a smart sensor, that consumes between, for example, 100 and 300 microamps for computational requirements during processing. As such, the multi-sensor devicemay be always on to perform shock and orientation detection without risk of draining the battery of the device. For example, the multi-sensor devicemay continuously perform shock and orientation detection regardless of whether the deviceis in an on-state, an off-state, or a low power state. As a result, shock and orientation detection results may always be obtained independent of the power state of the device.

The non-volatile memoryis memory that keeps its stored data even if the deviceis set to an off state. As discussed in further detail below, detected orientations are stored in the non-volatile memory.

is a flow diagram of a methodfor performing shock and orientation detection according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

The methodis executed by the device. More specifically, the methodis implemented as a program or a set of instructions that can be downloaded and stored in the onboard memoryof the multi-sensor device, and is executed by the processorincluded in the multi-sensor device. It is also possible for the program for the methodto be stored in memory of the device, and executed by processorof the device.

In block, acceleration measurements are generated by the accelerometer included in the multi-sensor devicealong one or more axes. As discussed in further detail below, the acceleration measurements are utilized for power management in block, orientation detection in block, and shock detection in block.

In block, angular velocity measurements are generated by the gyroscope included in the multi-sensor devicealong one or more axes. As discussed in further detail below, the angular velocity measurements are utilized for orientation detection in block. Further, the gyroscope is set to an off state when the device is stationary.

In block, the deviceperforms power management in order to conserve power of the device. Namely, the devicedetects whether the deviceis in a motion state or a stationary state, and sets one or more functions or components to an on state or an off state depending on whether the deviceis in the motion state or the stationary state.

In the motion state, the deviceis undergoing any type of motion. In this state, the deviceis likely being used by a user, and, thus, has a higher likelihood of suffering from a shock event, such as the user dropping the device, the user falling or having a sudden accident while carrying the device, or the device suffering from a sudden impact.

In the stationary state, the deviceremains still or steady for a determined amount of time. In this state, the deviceis likely not being used by a user, and, thus, has a lower likelihood of suffering from a shock event.

The devicedetects the motion state and the stationary state based on acceleration measurements detected in block.

The devicedetermines the deviceis in the motion state in a case where a value of a norm XLof the acceleration measurements, which is discussed further below, is equal to or greater than a motion intensity threshold value THfor an amount of time (or a number of acceleration measurement samples) equal to or greater than a motion duration threshold value T. Stated differently, the deviceis detected to be in the motion state when the following condition (1) is satisfied:

In one embodiment, the motion intensity threshold value THis between 1.05 and 1.1 g. In one embodiment, the motion duration threshold value Tis between 1 and 5 acceleration measurement samples.

The devicedetermines the deviceis in the stationary state in a case where a value of the norm XLof the acceleration measurements is less than the motion intensity threshold value THfor an amount of time (or a number of acceleration measurement samples) equal to or greater than a stationary duration threshold value T. Stated differently, the deviceis detected to be in the stationary state when the following condition (2) is satisfied:

In one embodiment, the stationary duration threshold value Tis greater than the motion threshold duration amount value T. In one embodiment, the stationary duration threshold value Tis between 5 and 10 seconds.

In a case where the accelerometer included in the multi-sensor deviceis a 3-axis accelerometer, the norm XLis calculated using the following equation (3):

where XL, XL, and XLare accelerations along an x-axis, a y-axis transverse to the x-axis, and a z-axis transverse to the x-axis and the y-axis.

In one embodiment, the accelerations XL, XL, and XLare filtered with a high pass filter prior to calculating the norm XLin order to remove direct current (DC) frequency components from the acceleration signals and improve accuracy. In this embodiment, the norm XLis a norm of the high pass filtered accelerations XL, XL, and XL; and the motion intensity threshold value THis between 0.01 and 0.03 g.

In a case where the stationary state is detected, the devicesets the gyroscope included in the multi-sensor deviceand the shock detection to an off state. Stated differently, generation of angular velocity measurements in blockand shock detection in blockare suspended and no longer performed.

In a case where the motion state is detected, the devicesets the gyroscope included in the multi-sensor deviceand the shock detection to an on state. Stated differently, generation of angular velocity measurements in blockand shock detection in blockstart to be performed.

It is noted that the accelerometer included in the multi-sensor deviceand the power management in blockremain in an always-on state. In the always-on state, the generation of acceleration measurements in blockand power management in blockcontinue to be performed even when the deviceis in an off or low power state.

In one embodiment, in order to minimize power consumption by the accelerometer in the always-on state, the processing rate of the accelerometer is adjusted based on whether the deviceis in the motion state or the stationary state. For example, the accelerometer measures acceleration at a first rate (e.g., 100 hertz) when the deviceis in the stationary state, and measures acceleration at a second rate higher than the first rate (e.g., 200 hertz) when the deviceis in the motion state. This allows additional measurements to be utilized by the shock detection in blockand the orientation detection in block. A power mode of the accelerometer may also be adjusted based on whether the deviceis in the motion state or the stationary state. For example, the accelerometer is set to a low power performance mode having a first power consumption when the deviceis in the stationary state, and is set to a high power performance mode having a second power consumption higher than the first power consumption when the deviceis in the motion state.

In one embodiment, the orientation detection in blockis kept in an always-on state, along with the accelerometer in blockand the power management in block. In this embodiment, the orientation detection algorithm in blockdoes not have to be re-initialized, and the orientation detection algorithm includes a calibration algorithm for the gyroscope in blockupon the gyroscope being set to the on state.

In one embodiment, in a case where the stationary state is detected, the orientation detection in blockis set to an off state, along with the gyroscope in blockand the shock detection in block. As such, orientation detection in blockis suspended and no longer performed. In this embodiment, the last detected orientation of the deviceis saved prior to being set to an off state for later use. Upon being returned to an on state, the orientation algorithm may utilize the last detected orientation as an initial orientation of the device. In a case where the motion state is detected, the orientation detection is set to an on state, along with the gyroscope in blockand the shock detection in block.

In block, the deviceperforms orientation detection when orientation detection is set to the always-on state or the on state as discussed above. The orientation of the deviceis determined based on the acceleration measurements generated in blockand the angular velocity measurements generated in block. In one embodiment, the detected orientations of the deviceare represented as quaternions. Orientations are continuously detected while orientation detection is set to the always-on state or the on state. The methodthen moves to block.

In block, the orientation data (i.e., the orientations detected in block) are stored in the memoryof the multi-sensor device. In one embodiment, the memoryis a volatile memory that erases in response to the devicebeing set to an off state. In one embodiment, orientations are stored with a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. The memorymay also have a configurable depth. In one embodiment, the memorystores the last 10 to 14 detected orientation samples or the orientation samples detected in the last 90 to 110 milliseconds. The depth of the memoryindicates an amount of time in which orientation data is stored immediately before a detected shock event. The stored orientation data may later be analyzed to reconstruct the dynamics and motion of the devicejust prior to a detected shock event.

In block, the deviceperforms shock detection when the shock detection is set to the on-state as discussed above. A shock event indicates the devicehas experienced a large, sudden impact, such as a user dropping the deviceor the user falling or having an accident while carrying the device. A shock event is determined based on the acceleration measurements generated in block.

In one embodiment, the devicedetects a shock event in a case where a value of the norm XLof the acceleration measurements is equal to or greater than a shock intensity threshold value TH. Stated differently, a shock event is detected when the following condition (4) is satisfied:

In one embodiment, the shock intensity threshold value THis between 15 and 25 g.

In a case where a shock event is not detected, the devicecontinues to perform shock detection while the shock detection is set to the on state. Shock detection is continued to be performed until the shock detection is set to an off state as discussed above.